VP of Academic Governance & Student Services

ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors. They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now. Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership College of Higher Education team is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment, we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place, which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Vice President: Academic Quality & Student Services is a strategic and operational leader responsible for defining, building, and institutionalising ALU’s academic quality framework and student services excellence.

This role will establish the baseline standards, systems, and success measures that define quality at ALU, ensuring alignment with global best practices while remaining fit-for-purpose within ALU’s unique model.

The VP will oversee Quality Assurance, the Registrar’s Office, and student services, ensuring seamless integration across the student lifecycle. They will also ensure compliance with all regulatory bodies across jurisdictions and lead ALU’s journey toward global accreditation and recognition.

This role is critical in ensuring that ALU delivers a consistent, high-quality, and globally credible academic and student experience.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Academic Governance Strategy & Frameworks 

• Define and institutionalise ALU’s academic governance standards, frameworks, and policies aligned with global best practices.
• Ensure adherence to fit-for-purpose quality assurance systems, including program reviews, institutional audits, and continuous improvement mechanisms.
• Establish clear quality benchmarks and performance indicators across all academic offerings.

2. Institutional Effectiveness & Measurement

• Define and implement ALU’s measures of success, including academic outcomes, student success metrics, and institutional performance indicators.
• Build systems to track, analyse, and report on quality and performance data to inform decision-making.
• Lead institutional reviews and ensure insights translate into actionable improvements.

3. Registrar & Student Lifecycle Management

• Oversee the Registrar’s Office, ensuring excellence in academic records, policies, and student administration.
• Ensure seamless execution of the student lifecycle, from enrolment through graduation.
• Drive efficiency, accuracy, and student-centricity in all academic administrative processes.

4. Student Services Excellence

• Define and oversee student services strategy, ensuring a high-quality, holistic student experience.
• Ensure services are aligned with student success, retention, and engagement goals.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to embed student-centric design across the institution.

5. Governance, Compliance & Accreditation 

• Ensure full compliance with regulatory authorities across all operating jurisdictions (e.g., Higher Education Councils).
• Lead preparation for and maintenance of accreditation requirements and external reviews.
• Establish systems to ensure ongoing adherence to governance, regulatory, and compliance standards.

6. Global Benchmarking & Recognition

• Lead ALU’s positioning toward global education benchmarks and rankings (e.g., accreditation bodies and global ranking institutions).
• Build and sustain systems required to achieve and maintain international recognition and awards.
• Continuously benchmark ALU against leading global institutions to drive excellence.

7. Cross-Functional Collaboration + Interface viability, feasibility & productivity

• Partner with academic leaders, faculty, and operational teams to embed quality standards across the ecosystem.
• Act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on academic quality and student experience.
• Ensure alignment between quality frameworks and ALU’s broader strategic priorities.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• 12–15+ years of progressive leadership experience in higher education, academic governance or/and institutional effectiveness.
• Proven track record of designing and implementing Academic governance frameworks at an institutional level.
• Experience with registrar functions and/or student services operations.
• Demonstrated success in managing accreditation processes and regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
• Experience working with or achieving global accreditation or rankings (e.g., institutional reviews, international benchmarking).
• Strong track record of building systems, processes, and teams from the ground up in complex or evolving environments.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Functional Competencies

• Design & implement academic quality assurance frameworks and systems
• Analyse and interpret institutional data to drive decision-making
• Lead accreditation and compliance processes across jurisdictions
• Build scalable systems for student lifecycle and academic operations
• Develop and track institutional performance metrics and KPIs
• Drive continuous improvement through structured review mechanisms

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

• Strategic thinking: Ability to define long-term quality vision while executing operationally
• Systems mindset: Sees the institution as an interconnected ecosystem
• Collaboration & influence: Builds strong partnerships across diverse stakeholders
• Execution excellence: Translates strategy into structured, measurable outcomes
• Adaptability: Thrives in ambiguity and builds from evolving models
• Accountability & ownership: Drives high standards and holds teams to them
• Student-centricity: Keeps student success and experience at the core of decisions